Higher Powers
by venti lupus
Summary: Demons. War. Destruction. The world as we know it is coming apart at the seems. Death sweeps the Earth, claiming thousands of new victims every day. One man knows the key to stopping it. His name is Xzane Anderson. This is where his story begins...
1. Intro

Higher Powers

I sat in my chair, taking in the information I just discovered. For the first time since all this began, I felt relaxed, like everything had fallen into place. It was over. I had won, and he had lost. I only had to wait for him to make the first move, which he would in exactly three days time, the Day of Absolution.

I turned to my team and stared at each one of them separately, letting them know by meeting their eyes what I had discovered. They were my partners, my best warriors and, most importantly, my family: Shaun and Alexander, strong and confident as always, Adam and Terra, forever bound to each other, although neither of them complained. Next I looked to Krystal who understood immediately the meaning of my gaze. And finally, I looked to Emily, strong and beautiful, but I saw the pain in her eyes when she, too, realized the meaning of my gaze.

After each of them fully understood, I spoke, "We all know what has to happen, and none of us like it, so let's put that aside for now." I paused, "I think it's time you all knew the story of a boy named Xzane Anderson." I heard everyone gasp as I spoke my true name. It made me smile a little, and I continued, "In light of current situations, I think you need to know my story. You know a lot of the facts already, but you don't know my side of the story. So, before the Day of Absolution arrives, I will tell you as much of the story as I can, from my point of view, so you know my thoughts and my feelings through all of this, and so I can fill in the holes in the story, things I've never told anyone, things that you might now want to know, but you have to, someone has to, and I trust the six of you more than anyone else in the world…and, so it begins…"


	2. Chapter One  Just Another Boring Day

Chapter One – Just Another Boring Day

"I still remember the day it began. It was probably just another ordinary day for you. It started out ordinary, for me as well…"

I was startled awake as my alarm clock went off, buzzing loudly and obnoxiously. I always hated that thing. I looked at it and realized I was going to be late if I didn't get up right then. So I jumped out of bed and threw on some clothes that were clean…I think…grabbed my keys and a Pop-Tart, and headed out the door. As I was walking down the front walk to my car, my mom opened the front door and started yelling, about what I'm not sure. I tuned it out and got in my car.

My car, to be perfectly honest with you, was a piece of shit. The speakers were practically gone, the A/C was shot, the seats had so many tears and holes I couldn't count them. The brakes barely worked, the doors stuck shut, and it was missing a window, but it was mine: my car that I bought with my money that I earned at my job, so I didn't care. As I drove my lovely piece of shit to school, I listened to music on the radio, or at least I'm pretty sure it was music, with my speakers you can never tell. I finally got to school, which with my brakes is a miracle, and pulled into my parking spot. I grabbed my backpack, locked the car, and headed towards the school building.

I walked in the doors to Hunter High School, the same as I had done for the past two years. Today was the beginning of my junior year, and I was prepared to be the best I could be. I went to my locker, which surprisingly opened on the first try. I put my bag in my locker, grabbed my books, and headed off down the hall. In a school of only a hundred kids, everybody knows each other, but only the select few people that I call my friends ever talk to me. I'm not exactly the most popular kid in school.

However, out of my friends, only one was a girl, my girlfriend, Catherine Smith. Why she chose to hang out with us losers, and more importantly, why she chooses to date me, is beyond my comprehension, but I'm glad I've got her. She's beautiful, smart and always makes me laugh when I'm feeling blue. We've only been dating for three months, but as far as I'm concerned, she's the only girl for me, and I'll never want another.

So, after stopping to share a smile and a kiss with Cat, I headed off down the hall to my first class: P.E. It was by far my least favorite class of the day. I despised physical activity so much. It's not that I'm bad at it; I just don't want to try. We just started playing basketball and, like always, I was the last one picked when we picked teams. I swear, some people would rather have a rock on their team than me, but honestly, a rock is probably more willing to participate.

I went to each of my classes, slowly but surely, and finally, it was lunchtime, my favorite time of the day. I went to my table, the same table my friends and I had sat at since the first day of freshmen year. After we've sat here for so long, I don't think anyone else will want this table, seeing as how we're kind of the outcasts of the school. There are six of us, not including Cat, she's no outcast, she's got other friends, but they don't know why she dates me. It's probably the only thing I have in common with them, but back to my friends.

There's me, of course, kind of tall and really skinny, with long hair, down past my shoulders. Cat's parents hate it. Next to me is my best friend, Adam Devito. He's really cool, short curly black hair, glasses, darker skinned, kind of muscular. Adam and I go way back to grade school. I worked with him on a project once and we've been best friends since. On the other side of Adam is Carl Koom. He was a pretty cool guy most of the time. He had short brown hair and more energy than any of us knew what to do with. Next to him was Aron Meloney. He was really tall with short blond hair and he was kind of a hick. Next to Aron was Cat's brother, Zack. He was a real funny guy, but he was cool, because unlike most older brothers, he didn't care that I'm dating his little sister. And finally, there was John Stone. He was a freshman so none of us really knew him, but everyone steered clear of him so we figured he must be pretty cool. His dad was supposedly real high up in the crime world, just got out of jail actually, but the crime lord thing is just a rumor.

See, in Hunter, Illinois, we have this system of crime. And I call it a system because, in all honesty, the crime is more organized than the cops, and the cops don't really seem to care. In Hunter, if you want something, you take it, and anyone that tries to tell you otherwise is going to have a talk with some real important people. Everyone knew this, although no one talked about it. It's actually a very large town, the only reason the high school is so small is because most people have parents in the crime business and they join the ranks of their parents' crime group instead of going to school. And those of us lucky enough - if you can call it luck - to not have parent in crime, go to school.

As I was daydreaming about crime and such, Cat walked up and started to say something, but I didn't catch it. When I snapped out of my daydream, all I heard was, "Xzane? Xzane, are you listening to me? God, you daydream too much. I swear you have ADD or something," Cat said as she started to giggle. Then she continued, "Anyway, my parents said I can go with you to the movie tonight, but I have to be home by eleven. If you pull any more stupid stunts like last time, I swear I'll kill you myself if my dad doesn't get to you first!"

She was of course referring to the last time I took her out on a date. We went out to dinner, and she was supposed to be home by ten. I got into my car's clock and set the time back three hours while she wasn't paying attention, and when I took her home, my clock said 9:50. Needless to say, her dad was PISSED, and that's an extreme understatement. I swore to them both it was a malfunction on my car, but her dad still took her phone and wouldn't let my see her for a month. She actually almost broke up with me over it, but I apologized enough times and surprised her with flowers and a new necklace, so she forgave me.

I laughed a little, remembering it and Adam high-fived me, remembering it at the same time. Cat rolled her eyes and playfully smacked me, and then I said, "That's great! We haven't been on a date in, what, a month now? Why has it been so long I wonder?" I asked as innocently as I could.

"Very funny, Xzane," she said, although she did not look amused.

"You still mad about that? Come on, I apologized, like, a million times, and I bought you that really nice necklace and I've been a good boy since you got your phone back," I said with a smirk.

She just glared at me. Apparently, she was still not amused.

"Okay, look, I'm sorry. That stunt was stupid and juvenile, and I shouldn't have done it." I looked her right in the eyes and continued as sincerely as I could, "I promise you, Cat, I won't pull any stupid stunts with your parents anymore. I learned my lesson. I swear."

She was silent for a minute, and then she hugged me and said, "Okay, I believe you, but I've got to go now. My friends are expecting me to help set up for cheerleading tryouts after school."

"Alright, I'll pick you up at seven. I love you."

"Love you, too, babe. Got to go, bye!"

"Bye."


	3. Chapter Two  Tragedy Strikes

Chapter Two – Tragedy Strikes

I closed the front door, and as soon as I was three feet into the house, my mother came out of the kitchen and started to yell, "Where the hell have you been? It is 9:30! You know you're supposed to tell me if you're going to be out this late!"

I replied very calmly, as if her yelling didn't affect me, "I took Cat to a movie. I told you we were going three days ago."

She replied, still yelling, "You did no such thing! You are in big trouble, young man..."

I walked away as she continued to yell. She started to follow, but I tuned her out and went about my business. I walked down the hall to my older sister, Ashley's room. She was only a year older than me, but she acted like she knew everything and I knew nothing. I knocked on her door once and then opened it. My sister was lying on her bed reading some girl magazine. She was shorter than me, but only by an inch or two, and had shoulder-length, light brown hair. My friends all tell me she's hot, but I don't see it. It's probably because she's my sister.

As I walked in, I asked, "Hey, Ashley, you heard me say the other day that I was taking Cat to the movies tonight, right?"

"Yeah," she replied, sounding a little confused.

I turned to my mother, who was still following me, and said, in the most insulting tone I could muster, "See, she remembers."

"Fine, whatever," my mother replied and then walked away, obviously frustrated.

I turned back to Ashley and said, "Thanks." Then I shut her door and continued down the hall to my room. I opened my door to find my little brother, Andrew, lying on my bed, listening to my music. I may be skinny, but Andrew was worse, so when he tried to bolt out of the out of the room, I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pinned him against the wall. "I have told you a thousand times to stay out of my room, you little brat!" I yelled as he tried to squirm out of my grasp.

"I'm sorry, Xzane! I won't do it again, I swear!" he squeaked, sounding terrified. I knew he was lying, but I also knew there was nothing I could do about it without having my mother to answer to, so, like every time before, I let him go, and he bolted out of the room. I lay down on my bed, turned the music up, and took a little nap.

I was rudely awoken about ten minutes into a very nice nap by my father and mother. My father was a tall, very muscular man. I did not like dealing with him because, unlike with mom, his muscles and iron grip prevent me from walking away from him. My mother, on the other hand, was a short woman, and in all honesty, she was pretty weak. The only time they were ever both in my room at the same time was if I was in serious trouble.

"This should be good," I said sarcastically as I rolled my eyes and sat up in my bed.

"Xzane Anderson, I am very upset with you," my mother started, her arms crossed and an angry expression on her face.

"Gee, there's a surprise," I replied, just as sarcastic as she was angry.

"Xzane, I'm serious. You need to learn to be nicer to your little brother. He said you slammed him against the wall and yelled at him."

"I've told him at least a thousand times to stay out of my room, but he doesn't listen to me."

"He's six years old, Xzane! Try asking him nicely to get out!"

"Because that's going to work," I snapped. "Maybe if you learned to be a parent and stopped babying him, he wouldn't be such a pansy and he might not think he can always have his way."

My last comment set my dad off. If there was one thing he hated more than anything, it was disrespect. "Xzane Jacob Anderson, don't you dare talk to your mother that way!" he interjected in his booming voice. "I won't have such disrespect in my house!"

"I'll respect her when she respects me," I replied, getting a little angry myself.

"That's it! Give me your car keys. I refuse to stand here while you disrespect your mother like that. You'll get them back when you learn some respect."

That set me off. They could ground me, take my phone, take away just about anything they wanted to. My car, however, was mine. I paid for the car, I pay for the insurance, and I pay for the gas. They have no right to tell me when I can and can't drive it. I raised my voice, and said, "Screw you, it's my car!"

My dad looked like he was about to smack me. He didn't, but he did raise his voice, "What has gotten into you Xzane? You will not talk to me in such a disrespectful tone!"

"Fine, then I won't talk to you at all!" I snapped back and stormed out of my bedroom and out the front door. My dad tried to run after me, but I was already backing my car out of the driveway by the time he got outside, and I drove away.

I didn't know where I was going or how long it would take to get there, I just knew I was angry and needed to get out of there, so I just kept driving…

By the time I had calmed down enough to go home, it was about one o' clock in the morning. When I pulled up to my house, all the lights were on and there was a van in the driveway that looked a lot like the one that dropped of John at school this morning. I walked up to it and used my phone as a light to read the license plate. It _**was**_ the same van that dropped off John. What would John's dad be doing at my house…? I stood there in thought for a minute.

Then the pieces fell together. John's dad was a high ranking crime lord. "They're here for my family…" I managed to whisper to myself before fear got the better of my ability to speak.

I ran around the side of the house to my bedroom window, which I always kept unlocked. I climbed into the house as quietly as I could and snuck out of my room and down the hall towards the kitchen. I was almost at the end of the hall when someone grabbed me from behind. I tried to fight back but he or she had restrained my arms. The next thing I felt was something heavy hit the back of my head and I blacked out…

I felt something cold splash against my face as I came to. I didn't know where I was or who the people standing in front of me were. I tried to move, only to find that my hands and feet were bound to the chair I was in. And why did my head hurt so much? My vision started to focus as my consciousness came back, and I realized I was in my basement, which reminded me of what had happened and why I was tied to a chair: Jack Stone.

"Well, well, it looks like they're all awake now," said a medium pitched voice, which I presumed to be Jack's. I looked over and saw my family, all bound to their chairs in a similar way to the way I was bound to mine. Then Jack, or I'm pretty sure it was Jack, continued, "Now that you're all awake, I'm sure you're wondering why I'm here. I presume you all know who I am."

"Leave my family out of this, Jack! It's me you want!" I was surprised to hear my dad's voice, especially laced with such distress. What was he talking about? Did my dad piss off Jack Stone? What could he have done? He's usually a pretty nice guy.

"You knew this was coming when you crossed me, Anderson! You've doomed your family and yourself," replied Jack in such a disrespectful tone it made _**me**_ want to slap him.

Then my mom started to speak, although I could hear such terror in her voice that I was surprised she was able to form words, "Honey, what is he talking about? What does he mean, when you crossed him?"

"Don't worry about it, dear. I'll handle this," replied my dad as calmly as he could.

"They're going to find out one way or the other. I like people to know why they're going to die. Do you want to tell them, or should I?" said Jack, sounding so smug it made me want to punch him.

"Alright, I'll tell them," replied my dad. Then he turned to us and said, "You see, until yesterday, I worked for Jack as one of his hit men. I never told you because I know that all the kids who have parents in crime end up in it themselves, and I didn't want that for any of you. It's also so why I was so big on respect. I've seen the kinds of things that happen to people when they accidentally disrespect the wrong people, and I didn't want that happening to any of you. The reason he's here is because yesterday, Jack got out of jail, and yesterday, I resigned as a hit man."

"That's not all you did, Anderson! You stole the information for my next seven hits, and I want it back!"

"You're a sick man, Stone, and I have no idea what you're talking about. You can ask anyone. I walked out of that warehouse yesterday completely empty-handed."

"I don't know how you did it, but you stole that information, and I will have it back, one way or the other!"

"You have no proof, Jack. The higher up's would never going for you killing one of the best hit men the business has ever seen without proof."  
"Proof? You want proof?" He then grabbed Andrew and pulled a large knife out of his coat. I turned away, but I couldn't cover my ears, so I still heard Andrew's scream and the sound of bone cracking and blood dripping. Then Jack continued, "I don't give a damn about proof, Anderson, and neither do the higher ups! They want the information back, no matter what the cost!" Then he grabbed Ashley and said, "Well, Anderson, what'll it be, the information or another of your children?"

"You're a monster!" my mother wailed as tears streamed down her face for her dead son.

"I'm only doing my job, and if you don't shut up, you're next!" replied Jack with a sinister laugh that made my spine tingle.

"I told you to leave them out of this, Jack! This is between you and me!" yelled my father, furious beyond all reason.

"You have thirty seconds before you lose another child, Anderson!"

"I already told you, I didn't take that information, now let my daughter go!"

"Twenty-five"

"Damnit, Jack, I told you I don't have it! Please let her go!" my dad pleaded, almost in tears. "Take me instead!"

"Eighteen"

"Jack, I swear to God, if you harm one single hair on her head, I will kill you with my bare hands!"

"That's quite a threat for someone tied to a chair," Jack replied, oddly calm for all his recent yelling. "Oh, and you're down to fourteen seconds."

My dad was in tears now. "Please, Jack, I'm begging you! Don't do this! Do you want me to come back? Is that what this is about? I'll come back, Jack, but please let my daughter go!"

"Eight seconds," was the only reply my dad got.

While they were arguing, I had been slowly working my hands out of the poor knot that Jack's henchmen had bound them with. It was fairly simple, seeing as how I've always been interested in Harry Houdini and other great escape artists. I was just getting my final part of the knot undone when Jack brought his knife to Ashley's throat and said, "One."

I lunged straight at Jack, who had his back turned to me, chair still tied to my feet. I reached my hands around his neck and tried to grab the knife. He might kill me for it later, but I wasn't going to lose another sibling. Jack dropped Ashley and spun around, barely missing my face with his elbow as I ducked. I forgot that I was still half tied to a chair so when he brought his knee up and I tried to step back, the chair stopped me. His knee caught me square in the chest and sent me into the wall, shattering the twenty year old chair. I tried to get up, but the combination of Jack's knee knocking the wind out of me and my head slamming into a concrete wall rendered me unable to stand.

Jack looked at me with such anger in his eyes I thought they were going to burst into flame. "You dare lay your filthy hands on me? Do you know who I am? Do you know how many people I could have kill you and how many ways they could do it, just because I don't like you? Ha! Hahahahaha! You sure have guts, kid." Then, turning back towards Ashley, "Now where was I? Oh right, the girl." This time, I covered my ears and shut my eyes, but it didn't completely mask the sound, only muffled it. I still heard the crunch followed by the scream.

I'm not sure exactly what happened next. I drifted in and out of consciousness from how hard I got knocked into the wall. All I remember is that when I finally regained complete consciousness, my mom and dad were both dead on the floor, and Jack and his henchmen were gone. I was terrified. I couldn't move. I didn't know what to do. I sat on the floor in a pool of blood, not even sure if it was my blood or one of my family member's. When I was finally able to muster the energy to move, I took my phone out of my pocket to check the time. It was three thirty in the morning. I knew I had to call someone, I just didn't know who. I decided I would just call Cat.

She answered the phone, "Xzane, do you have any idea what time it is? This had better be good, or I'm going to kick your ass."

"They're dead," was all I was able to say.

"Xzane, what are you talking about? Who's dead?" she replied, sounding a little worried.

"My family, all of them, they're dead. He killed them. Cat, I'm scared."

"It this is supposed to be a joke, it's not funny," she replied, but from the tone of her voice I could tell that she knew it was no joke.

"It's no joke, Cat. They're dead."

"Xzane, stay right where you are okay? I'm going to come pick you up, okay?" When I didn't reply, she said, "Okay?"

"Okay," I was finally able to choke out.

"I'll be there as soon as I wake my parents up and tell them what's going on. I love you, Xzane. I'll be there as soon I can."

Then she hung up, so I sat there and waited for her. I waited for what seemed like days, although she swears it was only twenty minutes. I heard a car pull up out front followed shortly after by her father's voice calling, "Xzane? Xzane, where are you?"

"Basement," I managed to say, although I wasn't sure if it was loud enough for him to hear me. I guess it was, because I few seconds later, I heard someone coming down the stairs and felt someone's hand on my shoulder.

"Come on, let's get you out of here," Cat's father said as he helped me stand up. As soon as I was in the car, Cat hugged me and wouldn't let go the entire way back to her house, but I didn't mind. When we got to her house, Cat and I went up to her room and I sat down on her bed and I cried. I cried and she held me, all night. I couldn't sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the blood; I heard the screams and sound of bones snapping under a knife, so I just cried…


	4. Chapter Three  Mysterious Stranger Lu

Chapter Three – The Mysterious Stranger, Lu

I didn't go to school the next day, and Cat's parents were okay with that. Cat didn't want to leave me, but her parents forced her to go. I told her, "It's okay. Go to school. I'll still be here when you get back."

"Okay…I love you, Xzane. I'll come straight home after school I promise," she said as she hugged me.

I hugged her back and said, "I love you, too. Now go on, I don't want you to be late."

The next few weeks are pretty blurry. I went to school, but anything that anyone said to me went in one ear and out the other. I remember visiting my family's graves almost every day and crying in Cat's arms almost every night. I was an absolute mess. I didn't do anything. I was an absolute mess. I barely ate, which really started to scare Cat at one point. Then finally, one night, after about a month of sulking, I decided I was done: done being depressed, done sulking, done sitting around and doing nothing. It was time to pay a visit to Jack Stone.

Needless to say, Cat was completely against it. I didn't argue with her. I just left, and I could already see tears on her face when I walked out the front door. I didn't want to upset her, but this was something I had to do. Jack Stone had to pay for what he did. My family deserved at least that.

I wasn't entirely sure how I was going to get to him. He was really high up on the ladder of crime, so getting close to him would be next to impossible, but I had to try. I was walking down an alley down town, contemplating ways to get to him, when a man in a large black cloak walked up to me and said, "You're Anderson, right?" His voice was very smooth and soft, and it had a very persuasive quality. When I didn't answer, he continued, "I know who you are and I know why you're here. You're looking for Jack Stone, right? He killed your family and you want revenge. No, you **deserve** revenge."

"Who are you? How do you know so much about me?" I asked, getting very defensive. The only people I had told were Cat's family, so how did this guy know?

"My name is not important, Xzane, but if you must call me something, call me Lu."

"Very well, Lu. Now, how do you know so much about me?"

"Xzane, you are asking me all the wrong questions. The important questions are why I am here and how I can help you."

"Very well, then. Why are you here and how can you help me?"

"I am here because I know that Jack Stone deserves to die, and I can help you get close to him."

That sparked my interest. "How?" I asked with extreme curiosity.

"You are missing the point!" He hissed, causing me to jump back a little. "It's not important how I do it. If I can put you in front of Stone, can you kill him?"

I hesitated, wondering if he was serious, but the look in his eyes showed absolutely no signs of humor, so I said, "Yes."

That seemed to make him very happy. "That's what I wanted to hear!" He handed me a gun and continued, "Meet me at Jack's Warehouse Storage Company in an hour. It's Jack's main base of operations. Bring yourself and that gun. I'll take care of the rest."

I agreed and with that he left, I'm assuming to "take care of the rest." I wondered around for a bit and after about forty or forty-five minutes, I decided I'd head towards the warehouse. As I approached it, I saw a van parked a little way down the street. It looked odd, out of place, like it wasn't entirely…earthly. As I was mesmerized by the odd feeling of the van, the back doors on it swung open and I could hear Lu's smooth voice, "Get in. There's been a change of plans."

I hesitated, but Lu's voice was too powerful to disobey, so I got in the van. There were three people in the van, all wearing the same cloak Lu had been wearing. The one in the middle, Lu, began to speak, "Xzane, I'm sorry, but this is going to be more difficult than I had anticipated. My original plan was to take Jack by surprise, storm the warehouse, and bring him out for you. However, we had a rat amongst us, so we're going to have to do this the hard way."

"Okay, so how do I fit in to this?"

"Well you see, Xzane, our plan was to use a new prototype stealth armor to take out Jack's guards, but the person that it was designed for was the rat, and it's too small for myself or my colleagues. You, however, have the perfect body type to wear it. The only problem is that you have no training with it, so I'll have to run the basics by you while you put it on. So, what do you say? Can you do this?"

"Yes," I replied, my resolve stronger than ever, knowing that I would be the one to do this.

"Very well, then." He turned to his colleagues and said, "Realgar, Volicon, help our new friend into his armor."

They replied simultaneously, "Yes, my liege." Then they moved to one side of the van and pressed a sequence of buttons, causing part of the wall to slide open, revealing the armor.

This armor was unlike anything I had ever seen. It was shaped so perfectly it seemed inhuman. No human hands or machine I had ever heard of could shape metal with such perfect precision. The inner layer of it was a simple black jumpsuit made of some material I had never seen, smooth to the touch. The outer layer was the actual armor.

This armor was beautiful, a work of art, but at the same time it's presence frightened me, and I'm not sure why. It was mostly black, and not just the color black; it seemed to completely nullify all light around it. It also had several red parts, which seemed to glow like fire and were warm to the touch. It had simple, metal-plated shoes. The legs were covered by greaves which started at the hip and stopped right before the shoes. They were fairly plain, save for that the outside of the thigh was open, covered only by the jumpsuit. It then had a belt with a samurai-like skirt of armor. The gloves were fingerless, made of the same material as the jumpsuit, with a metal plate on the back of the hand. The forearms were covered by simple vambraces save for strange symbols on them that I didn't recognize. They certainly weren't any human language. Most of the upper arm was left open, with small rectangular pualdrons on the shoulders. Coming down from the ends of the pualdrons was the cuirass, or breastplate, which covered the front of the body, but left the sides open. It had a chain mail-like pattern across it, adorned with a symbol I did recognize as the alchemist's symbol for fire. The back plate was the same, but without the symbol, and it had a katana on it, sheath built into the armor. The basis of the helmet was a round shape. It covered the whole head except for a window for the eyes. There was a metal grate on the mouth area, which I presumed to be a voice modifier or a re-breather. There were also fangs that came down on the outer edges of the eye window.

I just stared at the armor, drawn in by its magnificent presence, until Lu spoke, "It's beautiful, isn't it? It's the latest design, and our engineers really pulled out all the stops on this one. See how the black parts seem to nullify all the light around them? The armor has a light vacuum. See, also, how the red parts glow? They are made of pure fire, crafted by the best embersmiths in all of…my…home town."

"Wait, back up for a second," I interrupted, slightly confused, "What do you mean, they're made of fire? That's not physically possible. There's something strange going on here, and I want to know what."

"Xzane, I swear I will tell you anything you want to know _**after**_ you take out Jack. He needs to be dealt with now. There's no time to lose, now put the armor on."

I obeyed and Realgar and Volicon started helping me into the otherworldly armor. As soon as it was fully on, I realized something: it was almost weightless, despite being made of what was obviously some kind of metal. I decided I save the question for later. Right now, there was only one thing my mind was focused on: Jack Stone.

"You, boy, listen up, because I'm not going to repeat myself," said the larger of Lu's colleagues. I wasn't sure which one was Realgar and which one was Volicon. "As you may notice, the armor is not currently functioning. To turn it on, simply say "power on." Then, once it's on, the visor will come down over your eyes, and you will see a bar displayed on it. That tells you how much power it has. Go ahead and turn it on." I obeyed and turned it on. When I did, I noticed the power bar only go up a little bit. He continued, "You may have noticed that the power bar is not full. The most important thing about this armor is that it gets its power from anger. You must be angry for this suit to work. I understand that Stone killed your family. Use that. Let your anger become you, and the armor will do the rest."

I plunged myself deep into my subconscious, looking for anything and everything that would make me angry. I found the memories of last month, of Jack in my house, killing my family while I helplessly watched. Anytime I had thought about it before, the thoughts made me cry, but now that I had the power to have my vengeance, it filled me with rage: rage for myself, helpless and weak, rage for my family, now resting in peace, rage for Cat, upset beyond all reason by these events, and rage for anyone else ever had the misfortune to cross paths with Jack Stone.

As I let the anger take over me, I saw the bar on the visor shoot drastically up. The armor jerked into life and all the parts of my body that it left open were suddenly covered by a thin red laser, and I felt strong, like nothing in the world could stop me.

Lu then began to speak, "Xzane, you are doing well. I need to tell you a couple more things about the armor, and then you are free to approach the warehouse as you see fit. Firstly, the armor has a stealth feature which bends light around you to make it appear to others as if you are not there. It is activated by standing straight up with your legs together and one hand vertically in front of your face. Secondly, the grate over your mouth is a voice modifier, because to be perfectly honest with you, Xzane, you do not sound threatening at all. Now, get in there and get that bastard!"

I smiled at Lu's statement, and then headed out of the van, "I'm coming for you, Stone. You better be ready," I said to myself as I stalked towards the warehouse, my entire body blazing with fury.


	5. Chapter Four  Vengeance

Chapter Four – Vengeance

The guards on the outside of the warehouse didn't stand a chance against my armor's stealth mode. I took out the three by the front door with a quick sword through the chest. Then I used my insane strength to scale the side of the warehouse and gave the two guards on the balcony the same treatment. Jack's warehouse had a skylight on the top. I looked at it for a minute, decided that the armor could handle it, and jumped head first through the glass.

I thought I would be able to fall and land without any problems, but as soon as I was through the glass, my body froze. I wasn't used to doing this kind of thing. I fell backwards into the warehouse, and the fall seemed to be in slow motion. I could make out the sounds of people talking below, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. I was getting closer and closer to the ground. I thought for sure that I was going to die, but suddenly, my body jerked forward just in time for my feet to plant firmly on the ground. I was a little disoriented, but otherwise completely fine. I wasn't sure what had saved me, though. Lu hadn't said anything about the armor having a mind of its own. Then I heard a voice in my ear, "Xzane, be more careful! The armor's crash prevention module is dangerous! If it whips you around too fast, it could kill you!"

I ignored his rude comment and focused on the situation at hand. I looked around the warehouse, only to see all of Jack's henchmen bumbling around like they were blind. I was confused for a moment before I remembered the armor's light vacuum. In the same instant I realized 2 other things: one, that I must have some sort of night vision, and two, that I was a giant glowing target.

I jumped behind a stack of boxes just as the guards got their bearings together and started to fire their guns. I didn't know what kind of guns they were, I just knew they were big and fired more bullets than I could count. I knew that it wouldn't be long before they came looking for me, so I needed to devise a plan quickly. I figured that my best course of action would be to use my speed to my advantage to avoid their gunfire. I also had the upper hand because I was the only one who could see. The only things they could see were the glowing parts of my armor.

I leaped over the boxes, sword drawn, and looked around, counting the guards. "Seven," I said, knowing that they didn't stand a chance. I ran straight for the nearest one, glanced to the side as he tried to hit me with his gun, and ran my katana straight through him. His scream echoed through the warehouse, and everyone stopped firing. "Six," I said, and all the guards turned toward the only thing they could see, me.

One of them spoke, "Wh-who are you...?"

I didn't reply, and the next thing the guards heard was another scream followed by, "Five."

The remaining guards panicked and started unloading their weapons into the glowing red mass that was massacring them. "Four," I said, doing a back flip off of a box and splitting one's skull open, then, "Three," landing behind another and cleaving him in two. Then I ducked as two of them came up from either side of me and brought my sword up through one of their throat's and then whipped around run the other one through and said, "One."

The last guard threw his gun on the ground and screamed, "Oh dear God, please don't kill me! I'll do whatever you want, just please, by all that is holy, don't kill me! Please!"

I jumped and landed directly in front of him, then I leaned forward and said in his ear, "What I want is for Jack Stone and anyone associated with him to die." The guard looked down to see my sword through his chest. I pulled it out and he fell to the ground, dead.

I turned around and quickly scanned the warehouse, looking for a door to an office of some kind, somewhere that Jack would be hiding. I saw a door on the balcony that looked promising so I leaped with all my strength up onto the balcony, and landed with the resounding clang of metal against metal. I hope Jack was in the there, and I hope he heard my landing, so he knows what's coming. I raised my foot up and kicked the door in, sending it against the opposite wall, and stepped inside the room. Once inside, I saw, cowering behind a desk in the corner of the room, the man who ruined my life, the man who killed my family just over a month ago: Jack Stone.

"Wh-who are you? What do you want from me?" he said, voice trembling with fear.

I replied, "What do I want? I want justice for all the lives you have taken without fair cause, for the lives you have destroyed by your madness, and for the lives you corrupt with your disgusting business! As for who I am, maybe this will jog your memory," I said as I removed my helmet, revealing my face to him.

He looked absolutely shocked as he replied, "You're the Anderson boy! Xzane, right? Is that it, then? You want revenge because I killed you traitorous father and the rest of your pathetic family? Hahaha!"

I held myself back from killing him where he stood. There were still questions I needed to ask him. I said, "Why did you leave me alive?"

"When you jumped at me like that, I saw the same look in your eyes that your father had when he first started working for me, glowing with determination, determination to beat me, to win. I knew you had some of his blood, and that one day you would be a fine hit man, and that you would thank me for killing your family. I did you a favor, don't you see? Your family was holding you back. Join my organization and I can train you to be ten times the hit man your father was!"

I stared at him, exploding with rage, and said, "You're pathetic, Stone. You're willing to do anything to save your own ass, but you know nothing of death if you think it is something to be feared. When I attacked you, I expected full well to be killed, and you were right, I was determined: determined to stop you, determined to take you down with me, determined not to lose any more of my family! Besides, the only payment that I want, the only one that will satisfy this rage that I feel, is your blood dripping from my sword!"

With that, I lunged forward and beheaded him, ending his reign of tyranny, once and for all. I picked up my helmet, exited the warehouse, and returned to Lu's van.

Once inside the van, I saw Lu smiling a wicked and malicious smile. He said, "Well done, Xzane! Very well done! I've never seen someone take to that kind of power so quickly!"

I replied, "It felt amazing to have such power! I couldn't believe I was able to do all that..." We sat, discussing the battle for a few minutes, then I finally pulled my thoughts together and said, "Alright, Lu. You have some explaining to do."

The van grew eerily silent as he responded, "I know I told you I would explain everything, but this is not a safe place to discuss it. Meet me at the abandoned prison just south of town. I will wait there for 3 days. If you're sure you want to know about me, meet me there. And say any goodbyes you need to say if you decide to come, because you won't be coming back for a long time."

With that, I thanked them for their help with Stone, told Lu I would consider his offer, and headed back to Cat's house. As soon as I walked into her room, I saw her face darken, and she said, quietly, "You did it, didn't you? You killed him."

"Yes," I replied, growing just as quiet.

We both stood there in silence for a good ten minutes before she ran and hugged me tightly, saying, "Oh, Xzane, I was so worried about you! I thought you were going to get yourself killed!" She was starting to cry as she buried her face in my chest.

I lifted her chin, wiped the tears from her eyes, and kissed her. When she stopped crying I hugged her as tightly as I could and said, "Cat, I love you, more than anything else in the world, and I'm sorry that I hurt you. I didn't think about you being worried. I was only thinking about revenge. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she said, "because now I know you're okay."

With that, we laid down on her bed and fell asleep.

I thought about Lu's offer constantly over the next two days, weighing the pros and cons in my head. On the one hand, this could be a trap and he could just want to kill me himself, but on the other hand, the power that I felt while wearing that armor was incredible, and I wanted more. I mulled it over hour after hour, finally deciding that I had to go. Cat would understand. I needed the power Lu could offer me. I would never again sit helplessly and watch as someone killed someone I loved. I said my goodbyes to Cat's family. Needless to say, it broke her heart. She didn't understand why I had to leave, and I couldn't find the words to explain it to her without sounding like a crazy person. I left her house before her tears and heartbroken look convinced me to change my mind. I had to do this, regardless of the cost.

I decided that before I left, I would pay one last visit to my family's graves. I walked to the cemetery, and walked the same path I had walked almost every day for the past month to their gravesite. I knelt in front of the four graves marked 'Anderson' and said, "Mom, Dad, Ashley, Andrew, I don't know if you can hear me or not, but I just thought I'd tell you that I got him. I killed Jack Stone. I did it for you, especially you, Dad. He was so...disrespectful..." I started to cry so hard that I couldn't speak, so I let myself cry until I calmed down and continued, "I have to leave now, to get stronger, to protect those that I care about, so that I don't lose anyone else, but I'll come back, just you wait. I'll come back, and I'll be stronger than any of you probably thought was possible. Goodbye, Mom. Goodbye, Dad. Goodbye, Ashley. Goodbye, Andrew. May all of you rest in peace."

With that, I walked away, exited the cemetery, and headed south, towards the abandoned prison, towards Lu, and towards the power that would make me strong enough to protect everyone, so I would never lose anyone I cared about ever again.


	6. Chapter Five  Turmoil

Chapter Five - Turmoil

As I was walking past a store downtown, I noticed a T.V. in the window that was tuned in to the news. The anchorman said, "...The eight men were found dead in a warehouse on the outskirts of town, obviously murdered in some insane rampage, as they had multiple stab wounds to their chests and faces. The police have found little evidence as to who or what committed these murders, but it is clear that whoever did it has no regard for human life. Here with us we have the son of one of the men who was killed. Why don't you say something, son?"

I stepped back, eyes wide in disbelief as onto the screen walked John Stone, resolve solid in his eyes. He grabbed the microphone from the anchorman and said, "I know you're watching, Anderson, and I know you did it. When I find you, I swear to God that I will make you wish you had never even thought about revenge. You'll rue the day you crossed the Stone family!"

The anchorman wrestled the microphone out of John's hand and said, "Well, that's enough of that. Thank you, John. That's all for now. This is Rick Greene, signing off."

I couldn't believe what I had just seen and heard. I knew John was smart, but there was no way he could have figured out who killed his father. And what the announcer had said about a murderous rampage and no regard for human life...that hurt.

I turned away from the store and ran. I wasn't even sure if I was going South anymore, but I couldn't stay in this town. I had been so obsessed with revenge that I really had lost regard for human life. I had killed innocent people to get what I wanted...I had become just like Stone...

I stopped dead in my tracks, that last thought playing over and over. I was just like him, the man I hated so much, the man whose very soul I wanted to destroy. And I had become exactly like him. I had killed...ten...twelve people? I couldn't remember. I didn't want to remember. In a flash all of their faces, pale white and dripping with blood, jumped to the front of my mind. I heard each individual scream, heard the sound of that pitch black katana slicing through flesh and bone. And then I saw Stone's office, heard my helmet hit the ground, and then I saw something I hadn't noticed before: my reflection in the window on the other side of the office. The armor was stained with blood, my face dark with murder, and my eyes...they were wild with fury, vengeance and...bloodlust...

I was absolutely frozen. I couldn't move a muscle. My knees started to tremble. I tried to stay standing, but I couldn't hold myself up. I fell to the ground. What had I done? I was a murderer, a monster. I curled into a ball and cried. I didn't bother to look at where I was and I didn't care. I was a monster, and I could never take back what I had done. That couldn't have been me I saw in that reflection. I refused to believe it. That person was a heartless killer. Was that really what I had become?

I don't know how long I laid there, but when I finally looked up, Lu was standing over me. I looked around to see that I was outside of Hunter. I could see the prison in the distance. Lu must have seen me running and then collapse. I didn't think I had run that far...

My thoughts were interrupted by Lu's voice, sharp and cold, "You're pathetic. Those men got what they had coming to them. Do you feel sorry for every bug you step on? Every leaf you crush? Those men were no more than insects, annoying, pestering, vermin that deserved to die. They killed your family, Xzane, or had you forgotten?"

"You're a monster," I replied, suddenly terrified by his tone of voice. "Only Stone deserved death. The rest were innocent."

"That's where you're wrong. All of those men were rotten to the core. They had all done their fair share of stealing and killing."

"I took thirteen human lives! No crime justifies that!" I said as I started to back away from him.

Lu noticed my movement and said, "Don't try to run from me, Xzane. Where are you going to go? Are you going to go to the police? Tell them you're sorry for killing thirteen people? And what about John? He's very clever. You don't know him. He'll find you. You can't beat him without me. And poor Catherine...I doubt she'd take you back after you broke her poor little heart," he said as he dramatically shook his head.

I wanted to turn and run, to get as far away from him as possible but I knew he was right. There was nothing left for me in Hunter...

Suddenly, a bright light flashed and I covered my eyes. When the light faded, I moved my hand to see that Lu had taken a step back into a defensive stance and a new person had appeared between us. He was fairly tall with medium length dirty blonde hair. He wore a white robe, but his back looked bulky, like there was something under the robe, though I couldn't tell what. He spoke, voice calming but with a slight edge, "Don't listen to him, Xzane. If you go to Catherine, she will forgive you. Do not doubt the power of the heart."

Lu spat and said, Love makes you weak. Caring, compassion, all are weaknesses. Just look what your heart has done to you, Xzane. It's tearing you apart. You shouldn't feel bad for killing your enemies. Don't you remember how you felt when you had the armor on? I can give you that power and so much more."

As he said it, I felt the power rush into me. It was just as marvelous as when I wore the armor... "No!" I shouted. I had to fight this. That power turned me into a monster. But it was so wonderful... My mind turned into a battlefield, warring against itself for whether or not to go with Lu.

The man in white stepped toward me, hand outstretched. All of a sudden, my body jerked back and a deep voice from within me rumbled, "Don't you dare touch him!" The man stepped back in obvious disbelief.

He said, voice in absolute shock, "It's not possible. You're supposed to be..." He turned around quickly and spoke to Lu, "Take him. He's yours." With that, there was another bright flash and he was gone.

I turned to Lu and said, "What just happened? Who was he?"

Lu pulled his cloak closely around him and said, "Come, quickly. It's not safe here." He turned and started to walk hastily towards the prison. I followed closely behind him, eager to know what had just happened, and who the man in white was. When we reached the prison, Lu looked cautiously in all directions before opening the door and pulling us both inside.

After we were both inside, he let out a long breath and removed his cloak to reveal a man of medium height with short dark brown hair that was slicked back. He was wearing a black suit and tie. He didn't look entirely human, though his eyes were very narrow and serpent-like, and they were a shade of red so intense they almost glowed. He was smiling, so I could that his teeth had a slight point to them. He spoke, still smiling, "So, Xzane, what do you want to know?"


	7. Chapter Six  Inner Fire

Chapter Six - Inner Fire

My head was swimming with questions I had for Lu, but I couldn't figure out which one to ask first. Every time I opened my mouth to try to speak, seven or eight question tried to rush out. Finally I blurted, "What the hell is going on?"

Lu replied, "Xzane, I promise you, after my explanation, everything will make sense. But first, I have a question for you. Do you believe in Heaven and Hell, angels and demons, good and evil?"

The question took me by surprise a little, and I replied, "Um...sure, I guess you have to go somewhere when you die. What does this have to do with anything?"

"Well, Xzane, the first thing you need to know to understand the events that have transpired the past few days is that everyone, whether angel, human, or demon, has a guardian. For demons, it is a demon spirit, usually an ancestor of theirs. For humans, it is usually an angel, although some rare few have human spirits. What is rarer still is for a human to have a demon spirit. In fact, only three have ever been recorded." He then turned to me and said, "And you make four."

"Excuse me? Are you saying that there's a demon spirit following me that's supposed to be my guardian?"

Lu chuckled and said, "That's not exactly how it works, Xzane. The spirit is within you. It's like your conscience, although in your case it's more like a devil's advocate."

"So if he's supposed to be protecting me, where the hell was he when my family was being murdered?"

"He was asleep. He just awoke earlier when that glorified flyboy tried to poison your mind with thoughts of _love_ and _compassion_," Lu said the words almost like they were toxic.

"What do you mean, 'glorified flyboy'? Who was he?"

"That was the archangel, Raphael. Couldn't you tell he was an angel? His wings were so obvious."

"I guess I didn't think about that..." I said as my mind started to wander and picture wings folded under the man's robe...

Suddenly, a voice in my head echoed, "Stop thinking about those disgusting creatures. The bright aura they carry sickens me."

I jumped back in shock as the voice spoke. Lu noticed and said, "He's talking to you, isn't he? Your inner demon is growing stronger now that he is awake. May I speak with him? I wish to know who our Harbinger will be."

"Harbinger of what? You're still not explaining anything to me."

He sighed slowly and then said, "Okay, let me explain everything to the best of my abilities, and if you still have any questions, I will do my best to answer them. Deal?"

"Deal."

"Alright, then. The first thing you need to know, Xzane, is that I am, in fact, a demon. Secondly, you need to understand that you have a demon spirit within you and that by continuing this discussion, you have willingly chosen our side over the angels'. Do you accept this?"

I thought about it for a minute. I thought about demons and angels, and the spirit that was inside me. I thought about the power of the armor, and the satisfaction I got from striking down my foes. I thought about all the people I killed, but this time the thoughts were somehow enjoyable, like it amused me to see them die. Maybe it was the demon spirit influencing me, or maybe I had just turned into a sick, heartless monster. Either way, there was no going back now. I stood up straight, firmly resolved to follow the path I had started to its end, no matter where it might take me, and I said, "I accept."

"Excellent," Lu replied. "Now we can be off."

"Off to where?"

He smiled, and said, "To your new home of course. To Hell." He turned to a circle of five torches, and at the snap of his fingers, each one lit with a different colored flame: red, orange, yellow, white, and black. Then the floor started to rumble, and as I looked to the spot on the floor where Lu was looking, a large portion of it fell in, revealing a tunnel with stairs leading down. Torches lined the walls of it. Lu began to walk down the them, so I followed. Not far down the staircase, we came to a door covered in symbols that looked completely foreign to me.

As I stared at them, several symbols flowed into my mind and started to rearrange themselves. When they finally stopped moving I noticed they were the same ones that were on the door. I stared at them, both the ones in my mind and the ones on the door, and slowly they began to make sense. It took me a minute, but I soon realized that my demon must be translating for me. I slowly began to read, to Lu's amazement, "Chamber...of...Judgment. Those who...enter," I paused every now and then for words that weren't clear, "...this chamber will judged on the strength and character...of their...inner fire." I turned to Lu and said, "What does it mean, 'their inner fire'?"

He just looked at me, obviously shocked, and said, "How...how could you read that?"

I just shrugged and said, "My inner demon was translating for me. I figured it was just some demonic language. Is there anything special about it?"

He shook his head and replied, "It was a language used by all magical beings, but that's not the strange part."

"Then what is?"

"That language hasn't been used in over five thousand years. As far as I knew, my father and Beelzebub were the only demons who still knew it. Whoever your demon is, he is very old and very powerful." He spaced out for a minute, then snapped out of it and said, "Anyways, let me explain what this room is for. As it says, it is a chamber of judgment. Your inner fire is the nature of your spirit, your true personality. It is defined in five colors: white, yellow, orange, red, and black."

I interrupted him and said, "The same colors as the torches outside!"

"Yes, I lit the torches in those colors so that the tunnel would open to this chamber specifically. I can explain the portal colors to you later. Now, the five colors represent the spectrum of 'good' to 'evil'. White fire is what archangels use along with a select few other angels. It is supposedly the 'purest' kind of fire. Next is yellow, the fire that most angels use. It is general good, but not absolute and complete good. Orange fire is absolute neutral and is the rarest color to have, for almost no one is completely neutral. Red is the most common among demons, generally ranging from scarlet to blood. Black fire is the color of absolute evil and even my father, Satan himself has trouble controlling it."

"So what does this chamber do once it determines your color?"

"Well how it works is that when it starts, all five colors erupt from the five walls of the room and swirl around you. Then slowly, each color will either go out or blend with another until only one remains, and that is your color. Afterwards, your fire will transport you to the appropriate realm: yellow orange to red orange stays here, white to yellow goes up to Heaven, and red to black goes down to Hell."

The idea sounded cool, but I could think of a hole in it. "What if my fire is white or yellow?" I asked. I know I had killed some people, but I wasn't really that bad of a guy when you get down to it.

"I thought of that," he said. "It also takes your guardian spirit into account when determining your color, and if he's old enough to speak that language, you should be fine. Now enough chat. Let's get you in there." He waved his hand across the symbols that said 'Chamber of Judgment' which lit up and the door slid open. He pushed me into the room and said, "Stand in the center of the room and the magic will work itself," and the door slid shut.

I looked around the dark room and as far as I could tell, it was just plain stone. I walked forward, trying to find something interesting about this room, but I couldn't. It was plainer than I thought possible, so figured I would just follow Lu's instructions and stand in the center of the room.

I stood there for a good thirty seconds and then there was a spark from one wall. I stared at it intently, and suddenly, five jets of fire erupted from the walls and began to dance in circles around me. I had never, in my life seen something so beautiful and so terrifying at the same time. They swirled and danced, slowly blending and fading. Orange was the first to go, enveloped quickly by the swirling mass of fire. White and black melded together into a dark gray that swirled around the outside of the fire, slowly fading away. Red started to fade slowly as well, almost leaving just yellow when I felt the demon inside me stir. Fire as black as night flooded from all five walls and overwhelmed the yellow and what was left of the red, swirling closer and closer to me. Just before the fire touched me, it vanished, and I was in front of an iron gate lined with torches. Lu came up from somewhere behind me and said, "Welcome to your new home."


End file.
